Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Back in October, I gave a lecture at the annual Boston-based Mass Monster Mash gig on the controversy surrounding reports of Bigfoot in Britain, with an emphasis on one particularly notorious British Bigfoot known as the Man-Monkey (which is also the subject of one of my books titled - unsurprisingly! - Man-Monkey!). Well, the conference was videoed, and has now been posted to You Tube. Here's the first part:

Once again, I'm caught for time today, but wanted to let you know that early next week I'll be highlighting here a few new exciting things that we can all look forward to in 2009, including (a) a couple of new expeditions in search of monsters and mysterious beasts; (b) a whole stash of new crypto-books from the CFZ; (c) a few new TV documentaries; and much, much more. Looks like 2009 is going to be a memorable one!

Monday, December 29, 2008

Just a quick post today, as work has me occupied right now. From today's Anomalist:

On Bigfoot's Trail The Modesto Bee. Kathy Moskowitz Strain, an archaeologist and author of Giants, Cannibals, and Monsters: Bigfoot in Native Culture, believes there is something "out there." She's also a Bigfoot researcher, actively seeking evidence of the elusive hairy hominid. Here she answers questions about her search for the creature.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

The new issue of Britain's Paranormal magazine includes an article from me on the history of werewolves and lycanthropy. It describes several sightings of werewolf-style beasts in Britain: one seen in Scotland in 1952; another encountered in Scotland in 1967; and an English account from the late 1940s. Whether physical, paranormal, or something else, the British werewolf is most definitely here to stay. And, for more information on the issue of Paranormal in question, click right here.

And in the same issue, you can also find (a) an article from the CFZ's Richard Freeman on his recent expedition to find the Almasty of the Caucasus Mountains; and (b) an in-depth, excellent feature from Karl Shuker which graphically points out that not all the monsters seen in Loch Ness are of a plesiosaur-like nature. An excellent issue, and one not to be missed!

Well, here in the Redfern house, Christmas is still going on, and will be until January 5. But, I figured I'm not gonna wait until then to make my next posts here! So, here's a few of the things that have been going on while we've all been eating, drinking and getting in the festive spirit:

3. As I mentioned a few days ago, a new monster-hunting movie titled Occasional Monsters has just been released in Britain. I had a review-copy arrive yesterday; so I'll be watching it, and reviewing it here, this coming week. Looks to be a good one!

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

I just wanted to take the time to sincerely thank everyone who has visited (and/or commented at) There's Something in the Woods this year; and to wish you a happy Christmas, and the very best for 2009! I may be back online over the weekend; but if not, I'll be back on Monday of next week.

New Book on 1929 Ameranthropoid Hoax Cryptomundo. Ameranthropoides loysi Montandon 1929: The History of a Primatological Fraud by Bernardo Urbani and Angel L. Viloria offers new information on the hoax perpetrated just prior to the 1929 stock market crash. Loren Coleman points out the similarities between 1929 and 2008, including such hoaxes as the ameranthropoid case and last summer's Georgia Bigfoot hoax. Meanwhile, the hunt for the Tasmanian Tiger continues, and there's evidence the marsupial carnivore could be restored to life from extinction in Resurrecting the Thylacine: Does It Exist or Will Science Help?

I'm very pleased to report that my latest book - There's Something in the Woods - was voted 1 of 3 "Expedition Books of the Year," (by Loren Coleman at cryptomundo.com) alongside Adam Davies' Extreme Expeditions; and the CFZ Expedition Report: Guyana 2007. Both Adam's and the CFZ's books make for excellent reading; and to be given equal billing means a lot. Thanks, Loren!

Friday, December 19, 2008

This is a bit last-minute, but I just now got it from Eric Altman and Sean Forker:

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout I'm telling you why, Monster Hunter is coming to BTE Radio. Join us tonight for our 2008 Christmas Special as Sean Forker and Eric Altman welcome "The Monster Hunter" from Texas Ken Gerhard. Ken 41 years old is a professional monster hunter. That's right... he investigate reports of Bigfoot, the Chupacabras, gigantic winged creatures and other mysterious beasts. His idea of a good time is stalking through the woods at night with my shotgun, dressed in leather and wearing eyeliner. As a cryptozoologist/paranormal researcher, he has appeared on the TV series Monster Quest and also the show Legend Hunters. In addition, he has written an important book titled - Big Bird! Modern Sightings of Flying Monsters, which chronicles decades of encounters with a monstrous flying animal reported throughout south Texas. Ken lives for adventure. Ken has had the very good fortune to travel around the world, to twenty-six different countries and visit many mysterious places - from Loch Ness, to Stonehenge, to the Amazon jungle... from MachuPichu, to the Galapagos Islands, Australia, Thailand and Tunisia. Ken also likes to unwind and relax. He is the lead singer for the acts Bozo P. Circus, Bamboo Crisis and Flowers & Machines. As such, He's toured and performed hundreds of concerts throughout North America, opening for almost every notable industrial band and even Motley Crue. Ken has sung live for the super-groupPigface and have written songs that made the national charts.Don't forget Scott Hackenslash will be with us at 9:00 pm est. for the latest Beyond The Edge Movie News and Reviews...We invite you to join us tonight for our Christmas Special on BTE Radio....So you better be good for goodness sake, "The Monster Hunter" is coming to Beyond The Edge Radio this Friday night 9 pm est. Lock your doors, open your minds and join us if you dare.Eric Altman and Sean Forkerwww.beyondtheedgeradio.comwww.blogtalkradio.com/beyondtheedgeradiowww.beyondtheedgeradio.blogspot.com

Curse of the Fish That Time Forgot Daily Mail. Samantha Weinberg, author of A Fish Caught in Time, tells the tale of the discovery of the coelacanth, the fish the natives of the Comoros call "The King of the Sea," and evolutionists expect to tell the story of the ascent of seaborne creatures to land millions of years ago. But there's a dark side to the search for the coelacanth. Does this mysterious ancient fish carry a curse for those who pursue it?

Weird Hairy Females Seduce Hot-blooded Caucasian Men Pravda. The Caucasus Mountains of Russia are reportedly the home of the Almasty, the Russian version of Bigfoot. There have been stories of human males and Almasty females mating before. Now here are several such stories. You did note this is from Pravda, right?

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

This just in from my good friend Richard Freeman at the CFZ-UK Office:

OCCASIONAL MONSTERS, 2008, Donside Pictures, Directed by and written by Sam Addison and Michael Cox.The other day, quite out of the blue a DVD landed on the CFZ’s doormat. 'Occasional Monsters’ is a full length, and very low budget film about two inept monster hunters from darkest Aberdeen.

I’ve always been quite a fan of films like this. As a lad I was a member of a film club and enjoyed watching hand made films that were sent in by viewers to programmes such as Screentest. Despite lack of funds, such films are unrestricted by studio pressures and can be a breath of fresh air after the painting by numbers junk Hollywood churns out.Jon and I sat and watched Occasional Monsters and we both laughed like drains on account of both the humour and the fact we recognized real life analogues of all the characters.The story revolves around an unseen film crew that are making a documentary about two monster hunters Wolfgang Markus (a huge gun wielding psychopath with a hatred of cats, no it’s not me, I don’t have a gun) and Duane Craig (bespectacled nerd). The pair’s nerve centre is a run down flat peppered with CFZ books and a world map of monster sightings. Imagine Blair Witch Project crossed with The League of Gentlemen and you will get an idea of what this film is all about.At one point, acting on a tip off that a werewolf is lurking down by the river, the duo tranquillise a hairy, humanoid under a bridge and transport it back to the flat only to find out they have captured a tramp.They also attempt to turn their hobby into a business by visiting a business seminar. The only other attendee is interested in manufacturing cardboard (he has some cardboard and can get more cardboard but he doesn’t know how to make cardboard). Our heroes start distributing badly-drawn leaflets offering their services as monster hunters and are eventually asked back to the house of the man who was running the business seminar. He claims to be a werewolf and after the guys ask for proof he brings out a dossier of his reign of terror clipped from local papers. These include things like ‘POLICE INVESTIGATE ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR’ and ‘LOCAL SCHOOL VANDALIZED’.As it turns out, he really is a werewolf, and later when Wolfgang tries to sell his skeleton to the museum he gets into a heated debate with the curator about the existence or otherwise of matamata turtles.Whilst investigating reports of a report of a panther from Duane’s girlfriend’s aunt Wolfgang wastes her pet cat with a heavy-duty machine gun.The other hero of the story is the unbalanced van driver Ben who talks in inarticulate mumbles, has unexplained cadavers in the back of his van, claims to be a ‘specialist’ and is prone to fits of violent madness with hammers and pick-axes.Some of this is frightengly close to stuff that has happened at the CFZ over the years!Occasional Monsters shows what can be achieved on a tiny budget and restricted time (it is 83 minuets long but was filmed in one week). The film as the feel of a pilot for a series. I hope this comes to fruition because Wolfgang and Duane are such great characters and are funnier than anything in any new sitcom for years. These guys really need some airtime.Occasional Monsters is available for £9 from Donside Picture’s website at http://www.donsidepictures.co.uk/shop.htmlUnmissable! 10/10.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

We discussed a whole variety of cryptozoological issues, including (A) how I got interested in crypto; (B) the issue of "flesh-and-blood vs. the paranormal" when it comes to Bigfoot in general, and the British Bigfoot in particular; (C) my expeditions to Puerto Rico in search of the Chupacabras; (D) the essential requirements needed on a creature-hunt; and much more.

And before I forget, there's a competition, too. Listen in, and if you can correctly name my favorite Ramones song, you can win a prize! Only large amounts of money and beer will entice me into revealing the answer...maybe...

I received in the mail yesterday the new issue (number 45) of the CFZ's in-house magazine, Animals & Men. As always, this glossy, color-covered, 60-page magazine is packed with material of a distinctly cryptozoological nature, including (A) a solid round-up of the latest Bigfoot-related material from Paul Vella; (B) an in-depth feature from Neil Arnold on sightings of mystery-bears in Britain; (C) an excellent piece from Richard Freeman on hairy man-beasts seen in Vietnam; (D) reviews of the CFZ'sWeird Weekend 2008 conference; (E) a Mystery Cats Diary; and (F) much more, including the usual crypto news, letters-to-the-editor, reviews, my regular Letter from America column, and an editorial from CFZ Director, Jon Downes.

If you don't subscribe to Animals & Men, I definitely recommend it. You can find out all of the relevant data on the magazine by contacting Jon Downes at jon@eclipse.co.uk

On each and every one of the various occasions I traveled to Puerto Rico in search of the vampire-like Chupacabras, I heard tales that at least some of the attacks attributed to the beast were, in fact, the work of big-cats roaming the island.

Of course, Puerto Rico has no indigenous big-cats in its midst; however, when I visited the island with Jon Downes in 2004, we were told several stories of people who allegedly owned big-cats that had grown too big to handle, and that were said to have been released undercover of darkness into Puerto Rico's El Yunque rain-forest.

I should stress that this doesn't mean I dismiss all Chupacabras attacks as the work of far more conventional predators. Rather, my own conclusion is that the Chupacabras is merely a significant part of the unusual animal killings on Puerto Rico; and that other cases - such as those cited in the news article above - need to be addressed on their own merits.

I have said it before, and will say it again, England's Cannock Chase (and its immediate surrounding areas - where I grew up) is a seriously weird place, and an absolute magnet for Fortean oddness, strange phenomena, and out-of-place animals. And, on this specific latter point of out-of-place animals, we have this new story (with photo).

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Cryptozoologist to Speak at UMAKennebec Journal. Author, lecturer and curator of the International Cryptozoology Museum Loren Coleman will take the podium at the University of Maine at Augusta this weekend to discuss the "Maine mystery beast" of 2006, Bigfoot, sea serpents and more. That Coleman lecture, of course, is more convenient for folks on the East Coast. On the West Coast, cryptid fans will have to wait a while longer to Ask a Scientist About Bigfoot. Meanwhile, at Cryptomundo, Coleman uses text and illustration to tell about what may have been the World's Largest Mammoth?

Here's some excellent news: the Center for Fortean Zoology has just published its "Expedition Report 2008: Russia" on the Center's recent expedition to Russia in search of the hairy wild-man known as the Almasty.

As regular readers of this blog will know, the expedition was a highly ambitous one, which saw the Richard Freeman-led team tackling the harsh Caucasus Mountains as they sought out their monstrous quarry.

My copy of the book literally only arrived in the mail about twenty minutes ago; but even a quick glance at its contents demonstrates that this is likely to be seen as one of the major crypto-publications of late 2008/early 2009.

With an introduction from Jon Downes, a foreword written by Dr. Karl Shuker, and individual chapters penned by each of the team-members (who provide their own unique perspectives, thoughts, memories and opinions on the trip), the book is an absolute treasure-trove of data.

Not only that: the packed and unique photo section alone makes the book well worth buying.

As soon as I have read the book, I'll be writing a comprehensive review. But, even having just had a cursory glance it today, I can say for certain that if you want to find out more about the mysterious Almasty, you will not be disappointed at all.

I'll be discussing my crypto research tonight on Pangea's World of Weird radio show at Blog-Talk Radio. I've done this show before, and it's always a good time; so listen in, if you get the chance. Here's the link for all the details.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Back in the summer of 2004, I traveled to Puerto Rico for a week with Center for Fortean Zoology Director, Jon Downes, where we were filmed by the Sci-Fi Channel's Proof Positive series, as we searched for the vampire-like Chupacabras.

For a year or so after its initial broadcast, the episode in question was repeated fairly regularly. However, it's now been quite a while since the show was last aired (to the best of my knowledge, at least!).

But, you can now find the episode in question online at Google Video. Click on this link and type in the following, and that will take you to the episode in question:

proof positive evidence of the paranormal - Ep108.avi

I have to say that it was most definitely an extraordinary, adventurous and surreal week, as Jon and I roamed and rampaged around the island in search of the beast, in search of those whose lives had been changed by the Chupacabras, and in search of those with stories of a truly monstrous nature to relate.

Good times!

And, thank goodness, they let me wear a black t-shirt and not some stuffy suit and tie!

Awesome or Off-Putting: The Pinatubo Monsters Heckler Spray. A Filipino village on the island of Luzon, where fishing is the backbone of the economy, reportedly saw its industry fold after five aquatic "monsters" were spotted in local waters. What are these monsters depriving Filipino locals of their livelihood? Elsewhere, residents of Virginia continue to claim mountain lion sightings, despite the protestations of officials, as explained in Middle River Mountain Lion?

Monday, December 8, 2008

And while we're on the subject of Neil Arnold: Neil has emailed me to say that his new book, Mystery Animals of the British Isles: Kent (which is the second title in an ambitious series being published by the CFZ to chronicle the strange beasts of every British county) should be available around Christmas time.

Neil Arnold has written a fascinating new article on mystery bears of London and its surrounding areas. Of course, the bear became extinct in Britain a very long time ago (to say the least!). However, that hasn't stopped the occasional bear corpse from surfacing in England in modern times (as Neil shows in his article). Nor has it stopped people from seeing living, bear-like beasts roaming the woods of England. Whatever these creatures are (flesh, phantom, or something else entirely), they are without doubt a fascinating part of the British cryptozoological world.

Mormon Missionaries Find Sasquatch Print Houston-Today. Two Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints missionaries in Burns Lake, British Columbia, Canada, think they've found the footprint of a Bigfoot near their porch. The report follows multiple sightings of the legendary creature around the area. Elsewhere, a costume designer is making news regarding the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film footage, as reported in Bigfoot: Just a Costume? Meanwhile, the Centre for Fortean Zoology presents another video update in On the Track: Episode 14 (November 2008).

Immortal Sasquatch Still Immune to Cynics StraightIn British Columbia, Canada, Bigfoot is taken a bit more seriously than most locations, even after the infamous "Georgia Bigfoot" hoax. Perhaps the reason for British Columbia's regard for Sasquatch is due to the huge number of sightings throughout the vicinity. So who are the people looking for the giant hairy homonoid in the wilds of British Columbia, and what do they know about the legendary creature?

Search for Ivory-billed Woodpecker To Begin Anew APNext Saturday, a wildlife biologist is heading back into the swamps of eastern Arkansas with a scaled-back search team consisting of 26 volunteers and three expert field biologists. The search will run through the bird's nesting season in March and April when the ivory-bill is most active. Three previous searches failed to find the big black and white woodpecker.

One of the best magazines on the paranormal right now is (the very appropriately named!) Paranormal. Published in Britain, it's an 80-plus page, glossy, color publication that covers everything from UFOs to hauntings, ESP to cryptozoology, and much more.

And this month's issue - number 31 - is a real treat, as it's absolutely packed with crypto-related material.

First off, there's the cleverly-titled Terror Soars! from Karl Shuker that addresses the ever-present controversy about still-living pterodactyls. Then, we have Paranormal editor Richard Holland talking about the creepy critter of Britain's most celebrated haunted house: Borley Rectory.

Paul Devereux touches upon ghostly black dogs in his article Haunted Highways; while in Hill of Horrors, Neil Arnold discusses a plethora of weird beasts seen in the vicinity of an old Kent, England village called Blue Bell Hill, including big-cats and glowing-eyed Bigfoot-style beasts.

And, finally, there's CFZ resident zoologist Richard Freeman, who reveals the many and varied (and not to mention downright bizarre!) beasts that can be found within the annals of Japanese history, folklore and mythology. This article is excellent reading for anyone interested in learning more about the cryptids of this particular part of the world.

And if UFOs are your thing, you can find several articles in the magazine (including one from me) that cover a wide range of ufological topics.

Paranormal deserves the support of anyone and everyone interested in the mysteries of our world, and I'd urge all of you to pick up a copy of the magazine at the earliest opportunity. You definitely won't be disappointed!

We covered a lot of ground in the interview, such as the theories concerning what the Chupacabras might or might not be; its origins; the nature of its attacks on the animals of Puerto Rico; vampire legends; and much more.

I have made occasional posts here about the Mammoth - specifically about (A) whether or not advances in science should encourage us to try and bring the creature back from extinction; and (B) the possibility that isolated pockets of the beast might, incredibly, still exist. On the former point, here's a good new article that makes a lot of sense about the issue of even contemplating resurrecting the hairy beast.

Well, in the week that has gone by since my last post, there have been some interesting developments within the world of crypto, as well as a few new news stories and other developments to report on.

I drove down to San Antonio, Texas early last week to speak for the local chapter of the Mutual UFO Network (Mufon) about my various expeditions to Puerto Rico in search of the Chupacabras. I'm pleased to say that the group was very interested in the mystery, as well as in the witness testimony and theories for the existence of the beast I uncovered during my trips to the island.

While in San Antonio, I hung out with good friend and fellow creature-seeker (and author of the book Big Bird! Modern Sightings of Flying Monsters), Ken Gerhard, who discussed at the Mufon gig his research into the so-called Texas Chupacabras - a topic that generated a lot of interest among the Mufon members. And many thanks to Julie and all the staff for a fine Mexican dinner!

As I well know from firsthand experience, there is a lot of controversy surrounding some of the higher-strangeness cases attached to the Bigfoot mystery. Whereas most researcher prefer to see everything from a purely down-to-earth perspective, the sheer scale of weirdness that circulates around the world's most famous hairy man-beast leads me to believe that Bigfoot is anything but normal.

Monday, November 24, 2008

I'll be offline for a while from today, as I'll be driving to San Antonio,TX to speak for the city's MUFON group tomorrow night on the subject of my expeditions to Puerto Rico in search of the Chupacabras. Then, I'll be out of town for the Thanksgiving Holiday; so it's likely to be next weekend (or maybe even a week from today) before I'll be back online. If you're in the US, have a good Thanksgiving! And I'll catch up with all the latest news (and I'm sure there will be a lot with being offline for a week) on my return.

The good news, as you'll see, is that Jon Downes and Richard Freeman will soon be publishing a full-length report on the quest to find the creature. Based on what they have told me, and the data and witness-testimony they have in-hand, this looks to be an essential read!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Micah Hanks has an excellent new post over at his Gralien Report that I think you'll definitely enjoy reading! Here's Micah's introduction:

Recently on the Gralien Report I discussed briefly my interest in unconventional cryptozoology, that is, the study of strange beasties that fall outside the typical ranks of our Bigfoot, Yetis, and Loch Ness Monsters. Many may consider creatures like Chupacabras to be less conventional cousins to the classic cryptids, seeing as how they, along with Keel’s Mothman, border more on the realm of interdimensional “alien oddities” than biological organisms as we know them. However, setting aside all these well-known creatures for a moment, I’d like to shift my focus to an all time favorite of mine in the annals of Fortean mysteries which, if what existing evidence suggests is accurate, points to a monstrosity somewhere beneath our oceans that might rival J.J. Abrams’ Cloverfield monster. Sadly, whatever this thing may be, it couldn’t be afforded an awesome name like Project Cloverfield, Kraken, Godzilla, or even Cthulhu (which, for reasons we’ll soon explore, this creature may resemble most). Instead, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) researchers that first recorded its haunting cries affectionately dubbed it “Bloop”.And here's the rest of Micah's post.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Cryptid-Ape Inhabited Island VanishesCryptomundo. Lake Nippenicket, a body of water located in the midst of the famed Bridgewater Triangle of southeastern Massachusetts, once surrounded an island where it was claimed little red-haired apes were seen. Now the island has vanished from view. With photos and videos featuring Jeff Belanger and Chris Balzano discussing cryptids and other weirdness in the area. At forgetomori, meanwhile, Mori addresses the phenomenon of recollections somehow imprinted in the brain that turn out to not be true, no matter how vehemently defended, in The Brazilian "Lost Thunderbird": False Fortean Memories.

Last year, I wrote a chapter on UFOs for the first volume of an ambitious and exciting project that was the brainchild of Greg Taylor of the Daily Grail. It was called Darklore.

Well, I'm very pleased to say that Darklore Volume IIhas just been published; and, as with the initial volume, it's packed with fascinating material and contributions from a wide variety of writers, authors and researchers.

Here's Greg to tell you more:

"Darklore is a journal of exceptional observations, hidden history, the paranormal and esoteric science. Bringing together some of the top researchers and writers on topics from outside of mainstream science and history, Darklore will challenge your preconceptions by revealing the strange dimensions veiled by consensus reality.

"Featuring contributions from Stephen E. BraudePh.D, Nick Redfern, Jon Downes, Blair Blake, Theo Paijmans, Michael Tymn, Greg Taylor and many others, Volume 2 of Darklore offers only the best writing and research from the most respected individuals in their fields.

"In Darklore Volume 2 you'll find discussions of subjects such as the occult underpinnings of modern rock music, the origins of the Illuminati, hallucinogens and witchcraft, DMT and the occult, and much more.

As for my own particular contribution, it focuses on that most mysterious of all locales: Loch Ness, Scotland. But the story has a twist to it. Rather than dwell solely upon the world's most famous monster, Nessie, I have highlighted the illuminating fact that the beast is merely one of many mysteries that dominate the loch and its immediate surroundings.

For example, in my chapter, titled What Lies Beneath..., you will find reams of data on (a) the Great-Beast of Boleskine House (Aleister Crowley, in other words, who had a home at Loch Ness and who got up to all sorts of antics while in-residence); (b) sightings of strange creatures in the loch that specifically fall outside of the standard long-necked and humped-variety; (c) shape-shifters and warlocks in the area; (d) UFOs seen soaring over, and Men in Black roaming around, Loch Ness; (e) eye-opening synchronicities; (f) exorcisms; (g) repeated examples of cameras mysteriously jamming when the monster surfaces from the dark waters; (h) encounters at the loch with big-cats; and (i) even reports of creatures that sound very much like the fairy folk of old English folklore and legend.

In other words, and as I point out in the paper, the Loch Ness Monster is merely one of many Fortean puzzles present at that huge body of dark water.

And, of course, this raises an intriguing question: with so much high-strangeness afoot at Loch Ness, does this mean that the monster itself is not what many assume it to be - namely, a flesh-and-blood beast of undetermined origins and type?

As I note, yes, that may very well indeed be the case.

The whole affair of the Loch Ness Monster is not just strange. In many respects, it's just too strange...

Monday, November 17, 2008

Corinna Downes (wife of CFZ Director Jon) reports on their recent road-trip to Mawnan Old Church, Cornwall, home of the British equivalent of Mothman: namely, the diabolical Owlman. Did they find the beast? Read on...

"There has never been a more popular time for dinosaurs and all things dinosaurian. From blockbuster films packed with breathtaking CGI effects, children's television and video cartoons, computer games, CD-ROMs, animatronic museum exhibitions, and theme parks, to countless books, magazines, toys large and small, ornaments, collectabilia, and even fun lines in confectionery and other edibles, prehistoric paraphernalia continues to scale new heights of desirability worldwide.

"But nowhere is this more apparent than within the philatelic world - where the issuing in recent years by an ever-increasing number of countries around the globe of handsome, highly-prized stamp sets depicting a spectacular array of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals is matched only by the corresponding increase of thematic collectors eager to amass an eye catching, comprehensive menagerie of palaeontological monsters that the custodians of Jurassic Park could only dream about!

"Today, well over 500 sets of stamps portraying all manner of dinosaurs and also a multifarious assemblage of other prehistoric animals have been issued, with a substantial proportion of these having appeared within the last decade alone - confirming the escalating interest among collectors in this exciting thematic subject. And who can blame them?

"After all, where else but in the pages of a stamp album could stegosaurs and plesiosaurs, tyrannosaurs and sabre-tooth tigers, brachiosaurs, mammoths, belemnites, ground sloths, giant birds, and ichthyosaurs jostle for attention with velociraptors and trilobites, dimetrodonts and diplodocuses, mosasaurs, woolly rhinoceroses, Archaeopteryx, titanosaurs, iguanodontids, ammonites, giant sea scorpions, and innumerable other spectacular denizens of our planet's distant past?

"Now, for the very first time, here is a philatelic catalogue devoted exclusively to these incredible animals. Compiled by zoologist Dr Karl P.N.Shuker, a lifelong, enthusiastic collector of wildlife stamps and with an especial interest in those that portray fossil species, it provides an exhaustive, definitive listing of stamps and miniature sheets depicting dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals issued by countries throughout the world. It also includes sections dealing with cryptozoological stamps, dinosaur stamp superlatives, and unofficial prehistoric animal stamps.

"This invaluable book will undoubtedly encourage everyone with a passion for dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures to pursue it not only on screen, in books, or in museums but also via the ever-fascinating world of philately."

And Jon also has good news concerning the CFZ's recent expedition to Russia in search of the Almasty:

"I am also happy to be able to announce that the long awaited Russian expedition report is practically completed. Richard and I did all that we had to do for the interior this weekend. I have already half designed the cover, and once Graham has done our final proof on it, I shall upload it, and it should be available from Amazon within the next fortnight. The film, is taking longer than we had hoped, but 15 minutes is now completed, and once Richard and I have finished working on the 2009 Yearbook, and issue 45 of Animals & Men, we will make a concerted effort to finish the film."

It's a while away yet; but I thought I'd let you know now about an upcoming radio show I'll be doing. It's KAPS Paranormal Radio (see http://www.para-x.com/), and the subject matter will be my expeditions to Puerto Rico in search of the Chupacabras. The show will air on November 30 at 9.30 p.m. Eastern Time. I'll remind you closer to the date, too.

Last week, I was interviewed by the British Sunday Mercury newspaper about the many and varied stories pertaining to (and sightings of) Bigfoot-like creatures in the woods of the Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, England.

Having grown up there, I can say for certain that the whole area is rich in Bigfoot reports. But, I'm convinced the creature is not all it seems to be - or maybe it's more than it seems to be! As I told the media:

"I think the Cannock Chase Bigfoot has paranormal origins and is linked with the large amount of paranormal activity in the area. If this creature was flesh-and-blood, there would have to be more than one to ensure reproduction. If there was a colony of them on the Chase, we would be seeing massive evidence of them feeding on the local animal population. But the amount of deer kills that have taken place are not anywhere near enough to feed a colony of these creatures."

And that's the problem with not just the Cannock Chase Bigfoot, but the larger issue of Bigfoot in Britain in general. There are numerous reports; but a distinct lack of the type evidence for their existence that typifies (for example) the eating-habits, reproduction, habitat etc. of the Mountain Gorilla.

The British Bigfoot looks like a large ape; but has a far more phantom-like nature to it.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

I'm going to be on the road from now until Monday. I may have sporadic Net connection while away, and if I do I'll be sure to post the latest from the world of crypto. But if not, normal service will be resumed on Monday. See you then!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

I'll be speaking on my cryptozoological research and books at a gig being organized next year by the people at TAPS and Beyond Reality.

The gig will be held at The Mount Washington Hotel, New Hampshire from April 24 to April 27.

As the official website of the event states about this particularly atmospheric location:

"Featured in Season 4 of Ghost Hunters, the Mount Washington Hotel is a stunning building set amongst the beautiful backdrop of New Hampshire's Bretton Woods. Built in 1902 and mostly known for its elegant atmosphere and Spanish Renaissance Revival architecture, this historical hotel seems to have something else up its sleeve. From the ghost of a Princess who supposedly writes on walls, to mysterious sounds of babies crying, to a malevolent woman said to haunt room 206, local legends and lore abound here."

I've just been booked to speak at the Texas-based Jefferson Paracon III Conference, which will be held on Saturday, March 21 of next year. I'll be giving an overview of the world of cryptozoology, with an emphasis on my own investigations into such beasts as the Chupacabras, Bigfoot, Big-Cats, and much more. Here's all the details of the event, the speakers, the location and much more. Hope you can make it along!

Over at my Man-Beast U.K. blog, you can find the latest story of an alleged Bigfoot sighting in the woods of Britain. Frankly, upon reading the article, I'm not convinced that this is what the witness saw. Indeed, it sounds more like a bear - and it's a fact that mystery bear sightings in Britain are actually more common that many people realize. Anyway, if you want to take a look at the story and judge for yourself, here it is!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

This is a book I missed when it was published in July. Written by Philip Spencer, it's titled The Wildman of Kentucky. Here's the publisher's information on the book:

There is probably no other unknown creature that arouses more curiosity than the Bigfoot or Sasquatch. Yes, there is the Loch Ness Monster, the Chupacabra and other great beasts of lore but the Bigfoot remains the most compelling as it pulls us toward ourselves, shadowing the unknown X factor of our very origins.

The case files contain thousands of reported sightings, yet no actual specimen has ever been found. Hundreds of photographs exist, but the creature has not been identified. Still, the clues accumulate year after year. In the heart of Kentucky there is an ancient and sacred ground known as Panther Rock. For many years tales of strange events have been reported but never investigated in full.

Now, for the first time an intrepid group of explorers joins author, Philip Spencer to venture deep into what is known in Kentucky as the "dark and bloody ground" in search of the truth. Join Philip and the Reality Team of Special Investigators as they uncover new Bigfoot witnesses, a variety of mysterious evidence and chilling historical tales. Journey with them into the dark woods of the Frazier Land and experience the amazing paranormal and terrifying events.

The Search for Ogo-Pogo 680 News. Last week's expedition into the deeps of British Columbia's Okanagan Lake in search of the legendary Ogo-Pogo came up empty. Sort of. The "MonsterQuest" television program had all the equipment believed necessary to detect the creature, but came away with something found in an underwater cave, an organism "about six to eight inches long with some kind of flukey tail on it." A juvenile Ogo-Pogo? Elsewhere, at MothmanFlutterings you'll find Legend Tripping with Iowa's Black Angel and Mothman.

Tim Binnall's excellent Binnall of America show has a couple of great new crypto additions that he has just written to tell me about. As you'll see from Tim's information below, the two new episodes see Tim deep in discussion with Adam Davies (author of Extreme Expeditions) and Ken Gerhard (who wrote the book Big Bird).

Both Adam's and Ken's books are great ones, well worth reading, and contain masses of material on the strange creatures that lurk amongst us. Here's Tim to tell you more:

BoA returns to the UK to talk with Adam Davies, author of Extreme Expeditions: Travel Adventures Stalking the World's Mystery Animals. We'll be covering some of the adventures that are detailed in his book, including his travels to the Congo to search for the MokeleMbembe, hunting the OrangPendek in Sumatra, investigating the Mongolian Death Worm, and other treks around the world seeking truly unique cryptids.

We'll also delve into the human side of crypto expeditions, talking about what makes a good team, the political roadblocks to international work, how Adam's family feels about his adventures and much more.

Plus, we cover Alien Big Cats, the Seljord Serpent, American Bigfoot, the "kill v. no kill" debate, and, as always, tons and tons more. This is a jam packed edition of BoA which spans the globe and covers a wealth of cryptozoological topics.

Full Preview: We kick things off with the standard bio/background portion of the interview, finding out who Adam Davies is and how he got interested in cryptozoology. This leads to Adam telling us about some of the scarier moments of his cryptozoological expeditions.

Adam then gives a thumbnail look at Extreme Expeditions and explains his goals for writing the memoirs of his expeditions. Adam also recounts the incident, as detailed in the book, where he was arrested in Mongolia on suspicion of being a Chinese spy. We dive into the book with discussion of Adam's early forays into crytpo expeditions and the initial issues he faced, namely finding the right people to join him and the preparation work involved in such adventures.

Next, we discuss one of the early, colorful characters of the book, Jan, and we get Adam's take on some of Jan's eccentricities that are detailed in his book. We then get Adam's perspective on the members of expeditions who are sometimes overly interested in the media exposure as opposed to the actual research. We discuss some of the creatures that Adam has gone searching for on expeditions, starting with the Seljord Serpent.

After that we talk about the Loch Ness Monster and get Adam's take on the popular notion in esoterica that it is some kind of eel. Adam then gives us some perspective on what it's like on the ground at Loch Ness and how if the Monster is highly commercialized or not. We also discuss the perception that the LNM has become less popular over the last few decades and we get Adam's take on if that is apparent in Europe as well, and, if so, why that might be.

Moving on, we talk about the Mokele-Membe, which Adam has searched extensively for in the Congo. Adam details some of his early interest in the Mokele-Membe and how it fueled his desires to go on expedition searching for it. This leads to some talk about the political hassles that are involved in exploring the Congo for mysterious creatures. Adam reflects on how the natives in the countries that he traveled to were very receptive to his visits and attempts to verify their cultural stories of strange creatures in their homelands.

He then talks about some of his interactions and friendships with the natives of the countries he visited. We get Adam's take on if he think the Mokele-Membe could exist and what it might be. We also find out how extensive the research into the Mokele-Membe is, since it seems like one of the more peripheral cryptozoological animals. We discuss environmental issues with regards to cryptozoological animals and the question of whether or not their shrinking habitats would lead to their discovery or extinction.

We follow that up with discussion of another bizarre creature that Adam has gone searching for: the Mongolian Death Worm. He also gives his opinion of what the Death Worm might be and details some of the witnesses and believers in the animal. Lessons learned from his expeditions and advice for would-be crypto explorers is our next topic of discussion. We find out some of the means and methods used by Adam when he is on one of his expeditions. Adam shares the reaction by some of his fellow travelers who were featured in Extreme Adventures.

We also talk about the incident in the book where one of his compatriots had to leave the expedition and we find out how that person felt about having to leave the trip. Our conversation then turns to the subject of growing older and having a family and how that effects Adam's life of traveling the globe in search of mystery animals.

We also find out his wife's perspective on Adam's sometimes dangerous travels and if she has ever told him to stop making these trips. In light of Adam's many travels, we find out what he thinks of coming to America to pursue some of our cryptozoological creatures. We also get his take on the Chupacabra as well as some of the creatures that may be lurking in Australia.

Jumping back to one of our previous discussions, we talk about the OrangPendek, how people describe it, and what it may be. We learn where Adam stands on the "kill v. no kill" debate as far as mystery beasts go. We also find out how extensive Adam's ability to capture the creatures would be, should he come across one during his expeditions. Looking at some of his post-book work, we find out about Adam's trip to Russia this past Summer in search of the Almasty, which is the Russian Bigfoot.

Looking at expeditions as a whole, we find out how prevalent the concern is over potentially getting sick with an exotic disease or physically injured while on the trip. We then discuss one cryptid which is in Adam's proverbial backyard: the Alien Big Cat and get his take on the ABC phenomenon. Following that, we get Adam's opinion on the "paranormal v. natural" debate over Bigfoot and other cryptids.

We also get his perspective on a post-Bigfoot discovery cryptozoology world and how the field would react and be affected by such a discovery. This naturally leads to this Summer's Bigfoot discovery hoax and we find out how Adam felt about the event as it unfolded. Heading towards the close, we find out about some of the documentary films that Adam has made and been a part of and how folks can see these films.

We then find out what's next for Adam Davies and what future expeditions he may have on the drawing boards. This interview was recorded on 9.27.8

Bonus Audio: Ken Gerhard As an added audio bonus, at the conclusion of this week's episode, we've included Binnall's on-site mini-interview with Thunderbird researcher Ken Gerhard at the Mass Monster Mash.

We find out what drew Ken to attend the Mass Monster Mash and he tells us about his book Big Bird: Modern Sightings of Flying Monsters. We get Ken's take on the "bird v. pteredactyl" debate regarding the Thunderbird phenomenon. We find out if Ken has gotten much photographic evidence for giant birds, in light of the technological boom of the last decade.

Ken enlightens us to some of the origins of the "Big Bird" and Thunderbird name. We also find out about Ken's research into the Texas Chupacabras from the past few years. Wrapping up the mini-interview, we find out where folks can find out more from Ken Gerhard. This interview was recorded on 10.18.08

I do quite a bit of writing (such as introductions, etc) for Timothy Green Beckley's Global Communications publishing company. And, right now, Tim has just published a new title that will appeal to anyone with an interest in weird creatures, monsters and more.

I have written the Introduction to the book, and here's Tim to tell you more:

He was known as "The Thunder And Lightning Man. . ."

Was Andrew Crosse (1784-1855) a real life Dr Frankenstein?

Did he create the building blocks of life in his laboratory? Or was he delusional? Or perhaps even a total fraud?

His contemporaries in the scientific community were puzzsled by the very nature of his experiments. And while the eye does not deceive, they were unable to duplicate his findings and reproduce under controlled conditions the striking life forms that were plainly visible and clearly moving around Crosse's laboratory table.

To the farmers living in the area surrounding Crosse's palatial Fyne Court, he quickly became recognized as a heretic dabbling in dark areas that led him to be on the receiving end of a significant number of irate letters from God-fearing folk who summarily and loudly accused him of blasphemy, or even trying to replace their God as the ultimate creator.

The contentions of the nearby country folk were only compounded by Andrew Crosse's ability to seemingly capture bolts of lightning and direct them through a mile long coil of copper wire that was suspended from poles and trees all around his estate. Events reached a boiling point when Crosse started to receive anonymous death threats. There were those who firmly blamed him for a failure in the year's wheat-crop; and there was even a demand that an exorcism of the whole area be undertaken in the surrounding green hills.

Here, in his own words, Andrew Crosse describes in great detail his life and times and the experiments that caused such a gret controversy in his day -- and continue to frighten and bewilder us even now! In a breathtaking update paranormalist Nick Redfern takes us behind the scenes and actually describes Crosse's relationship with the creator of the Frankenstein novel, Mary Shelley.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

I'll be offline from today until next Monday, as I leave to speak at Ryan Wood's annual "Crashed UFO Conference" in Las Vegas. Hopefully, there will be much to report on of a crypto-nature when I return!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

"I've always been interested in animal behavior within paranormal and UFOlogical events; reactions of the family dog type stories. The Mothman event has its share of animals, usually dogs, who behaved abnormally when in the vicinity of Mothman. One such dog was Bandit. Bandit, a German Shepherd, alerted owner Newell Partridge to something weird going on in their barn. Going outside to investigate, and feeling a strange sense of fear himself, Partridge found Bandit barking furiously at something before running off into the woods. His tracks were found the next day, as if the dog was going around in circles. Bandit was never seen again."

As The Real Men in Black demonstrates, Mothman, the Loch Ness Monster, the Chupacabra, and perhaps even the legendary "Thunderbird Photograph" have attracted the attention of the MIB.

And, in a real scoop, I detail in my book the very creepy MIB encounter of legendary cryptozoologist, Loren Coleman himself...

THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE WOODS: A Transatlantic Hunt for Monsters and the Mysterious

Contains the latest news on Bigfoot, Werewolves, The Thunderbird, Devil-Dogs, Big-Cats, and much more. For all the details, including purchase-information, click on the book-cover image above, or check out: http://www.anomalistbooks.com/redfern2.html

MONSTERS OF TEXAS

NOW AVAILABLE (Click on the book-cover for more information)

MAN-MONKEY: In Search Of The British Bigfoot

"This book is an important contribution to the annals of furry, upright creature lore and belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in unidentified animals," Linda Godfrey, author of "The Beast of Bray Road" and "Hunting the American Werewolf."

MEMOIRS OF A MONSTER HUNTER: A Five-Year Journey In Search Of The Unknown

"This is one of the best books I've read in years," Joshua P. Warren, author of "Pet Ghosts" and "How to Hunt Ghosts."

CONFESSIONS OF A MONSTER HUNTER

I am the author of many books, including "A Covert Agenda;" "The FBI Files;" "Cosmic Crashes;" "Strange Secrets (with Andy Roberts);" "Three Men Seeking Monsters;" "Body Snatchers in the Desert;" "On the Trail of the Saucer Spies;" "Celebrity Secrets;" "Man-Monkey;" "Memoirs of a Monster Hunter;" "There's Something in the Woods;" "Science Fiction Secrets;" "Contactees;" "Monsters of Texas" (with Ken Gerhard); "Final Events;" "The NASA Conspiracies;" "Space Girl Dead on Spaghetti Junction;" "The Real Men in Black" and "Keep Out!"
Proudest achievement: knowing all the lyrics to every one of the songs recorded by The Macc Lads.
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